A New Political Party Focused on Women's Rights May Be on the Ballot This November (at Least in New York)

A political party focused on addressing women's rights might soon be a thing in New York. The Women's Equality Party (WEP), fronted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former New York City Council Speaker and 2013 New York City mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, and lieutenant governor candidate Kathy Hochul, initially launched in July and is seeking 50,000 votes in next month's elections to make the WEP an official political party. As MSNBC reports, candidates running for office in New York can appear on multiple ballots. As a result, a candidate could run on the Democratic ticket but also, say, the WEP ticket and other minority parties for which he or she has been nominated. The result is an increase in visibility and also an easy way for candidates to appeal to voters with specific interests, which could influence election results.

The WEP's main goal, as of now, is to finally get the New York state legislature to pass the Women's Equality Act, which was rejected by the state senate in both 2013 and 2014. The 10-point bill would help protect a woman's right to an abortion, ensure equal pay, prevent discrimination against pregnant women and mothers, better protect victims of domestic violence, and end sexual harassment in the workplace, among other key measures. The bill failed to pass the state senate due to the abortion component, which would codify the Roe v. Wade decision; Senate Republicans would not vote on it, and Democrats refused to split the bill up so that the 10 points could be voted on separately. "The bill isn't moving," said Quinn, according to MSNBC. "The people, particularly male elected officials, have had the audacity to tell us 'we'll give you nine out of the 10 things you want but not all 10.' When have they ever said that to a male official? It just doesn't happen. So we decided we wanted to take it to the election arena."

Opponents of the WEP have argued that it is merely a political strategy by Cuomo (who is running for reelection) and other male politicians to appeal to woo female voters. In a Vice article published on September 2 titled "Why Are Most of New York's Women's Equality Party Candidates Men?" Jeanne Wilcke, president of the Downtown Independent Democrats, a group that helps get Democratic candidates elected, stated, "This new party is not for women, instead it is using women for political play." (Although, to be fair, there's nothing wrong with male politicians supporting legislation that helps women. It's a good thing, in fact, if motivated by the right reasons.)

Supporters, on the other hand, say that it's high time voters can clearly cast their ballots for candidates who are going to support legislation that protects women's rights. Morra Aarons-Mele, founder of Women Online, wrote this in a Huffington Post article about the WEP: "...let's face it, we're too often outraged without options. It's not often these days voters have a solution to righting wrongs—I believe the Women's Equality Party offers a fantastic start."